Admittedly the hardest so far since I had difficulty choosing how I wanted to present this theme. I think I'm satisfied with this.
Day Two Theme : Sunsets
Summary : Tai comes to the conclusion that sunsets don't have to mean a total end.
Tai had come to the conclusion that sunsets were highly underrated. Everyone always tended to look at the negativity of what a sunset meant. Yet they never stopped to look at the beauty of what a sunset could mean.
In the first place, how could anyone truly dislike sunsets? There was something about them that was beautiful. The purple and red marks that danced in the sky that darkened as the hour brought to the close. It was one of his favorite parts of walking back home after a long day of practice. Especially when she was with him walking back.
The first day Sora had walked home with him was when they started to play soccer in the local team. It was the first time she was allowed to walk alone without her parents. It had been a long day of practice. The soccer team was anxious over whether they would beat the upcoming team or not. It was getting dark to Sora's notice. She brought her jacket closer to herself.
At this point though they both knew that they'd have to use the bus to get to Sora's home first. They shifted nervously in their seats though Tai stared into the window, watching in awe at the sunset.
"You always like looking at the sunset, don't you?"
"Ever noticed how pretty it looks? I mean I know it sounds super sappy but I always liked looking at it. I know to many people it means the end, but maybe it can also mean something else. Like the beginning of a new hope after such a rough day."
"Like the practice we had?"
"Yeah exactly like the practice that we had." Tai replied almost amused.
"The team we're going to face off must be really tough." Sora thought out loud.
"We're tougher." Tai counteracted optimistically. "As long as all of us work together as a team, we're gonna kick their ass to the goal."
Tai didn't remember now if they did truly kick the opposing team's ass or if they kicked their ass but he wanted to believe the Odaiba team managed to one up this opposing team. Because he recalled after that game the coach had treated them to an ice cream social. Yes that's it. They kicked those losers' ass.
December 2002. Tai was looking over the window as he mulled over what he had done. Had he blown his chances with Sora? Maybe he should have seen it coming. For starters Matt would never have given such a lame ass gift to Sora like a hairpin that had caused them to not speak to one another for a whole week before they both finally apologized. And even then Tai couldn't help but feel he was still at fault for starting it. No wonder she would have fallen for Matt. Matt never caused or picked fights. Matt never acted like an asshole to anyone or had so much pride in himself that he couldn't even apologize for a misdeed he clearly had done. He was the girls' perfect man. Handsome, musically talented, calm and collected, the type to promise everything to a lucky girl in the world. Meanwhile, he was difficult to be around with, something somehow always managed to irritate him every single day of his life, his hair seemed to have a mind of his own.
"Tai come on, stop doing this to yourself. Sora's her own person. She should be allowed to like, date and whoever she gives baked goods to whoever she wants. It's not you. It's never you. Especially after you turned out to be such an ass." Tai muttered to himself, focusing on something to take his mind off of things.
The sunset was starting to form. He decided to focus on that. Hopefully the sunset would mean an end to something as silly as a crush and lead to something that in the end would make him happy.
Unfortunately, it didn't turn out to be the case. As the months passed, Tai had found himself pining for Sora. He wondered if he should have said something, anything. But who was he kidding? The end result would have been the same.
Which was why it was a shock when one warm summer day, as Tai walked back home from soccer practice he caught her looking downcast at the sky, seemingly wandering aimlessly in the area.
He noted that she looked distraught about something and asked her about it. Finally she admitted it.
"Matt and I broke up."
"What?" Tai blinked, astonished.
"Matt and I broke up." Sora repeated, finally lifting her head to reveal that her eyes had been red rimmed as if she had been crying.
"Hey lemme come to him and try to convince him that-"
"Tai, Matt's not the one who ended things. It was me."
"But why?" Tai asked, confused. This was crazy. He should have been internally jumping up and down at the idea that Sora was single. But he wasn't. He was horrified to see her saddened. Even if the whole 'you don't get together with your first love' thing was true this felt so wrong to see.
"I feel like I've made a terrible mistake." Sora admitted. "Asking Matt out."
Tai looked at her and asked, "Want to hang a bit? Just the two of us until you feel ready to go home?"
"Okay," she replied. He remembered the conversation that the two had. They discussed anything that could keep her mind off of recent events. It seemed to work at the end of the day. She smiled, and she laughed. And that made Tai happy as he took one last look at the vanishing sunset. He was glad he could brighten her day even as the sun couldn't.
No one can forget their high school graduation, for many reasons. But for Tai and Sora it was also the day that they had begun to date. Sure enough the day's sunset had been their witness in this beginning of a blossoming romance.
As they shared their first kiss together, they felt at peace. Things were going to start for them, the beginning of the rest of their natural lives.
The words vibrated throughout his mind. "Taichi, I'm dying." Neither he and Sora could believe it. They knew that Uncle Nori did not have much time left in this mortal coil, he should have seen it coming when he saw his uncle had less strength to get up these days. His uncle did not have much time for a long while but now it seemed as if they had truly gotten to the sunset of his life.
Uncle Nori was spending time with the other family members, to break the news of the situation. He shuddered. How could his uncle explain to his sister and the others that there was now no longer hope for him? He never could be able to do it himself.
The day was getting late. Tai and Sora seemed to be lost to the world as they stood by the bridge.
"Tai, I have something to tell you."
Tai's ears perked up as he turned to face his wife of seven years. She looked absolutely amazing in the light of the sunset. Her red-orangish hair, that she had begun growing out, flew and danced in the wind in fiery curls. Her body was dressed in a warm turtleneck and jeans. The air was getting cold making Tai extremely anxious. She looked nervous but also happy.
"Tai, I'm pregnant. You're going to be a daddy." Sora finally said as she blinked back a few tears of joy.
"Sora…" Tai said, a small smile forming in his face in spite of what had happened. Yes this was a sunset. It may have been an end, an end that Tai was afraid of facing to say goodbye to his uncle, but also the beginning of a new chapter for him and Sora. One that he and Sora would face together.
One day it'd be him and her, with a child, walking by the bridge with the sunset as their companion on these special days. But until then, he and Sora had one thing in their mind. How to keep it as a surprise to their family until it was safe to finally announce Sora's pregnancy.
Author's Note : You all wanted something lighthearted? Well you're getting it. Because I'm just as, if not more, soft hearted concerning Taiora.
Consider this a prequel of sort to both the Celebration chapter in my woefully short TaioraWeek2021 story and the 'Treasure' chapter in my TaioraWeek2022 story. So yes this is actually canon to my main verse.
I don't have much to say except the mandatory disclaimer. Next theme is Disney...ooh can't wait!
